MAC’s Hyper Real Glow is the only highlighter I will ever need.

April 18, 2018April 18, 20181 Comment

MAc Hyper REal glow closed

MAc Hyper Real glow

Tis the season for highlighter frenzy, in the beauty community companies now are in competition to release the greatest highlighter ever. Every women needs a good glow on go. I had my eye set on the Amrzey highlighter from Anastasia Bevery Hills, but I just had a feeling not go with that one. I have this method when it comes to spending’s on makeup, if I don’t absolutely love it I purchase it, if I am still thinking about it a couple of days later then I must get it. I am quite indecisive when it comes to purchasing beauty products, it’s sucks when you buy something and its not what you expect it to be. So if I don’t get that I innate feeling I don’t get it. Makes sense right?

A couple of days ago I went into the Pro Mac Store in NYC to buy refills, I came in a hurry and wasn’t looking to purchase anything new. Until I came across this beauty, this awesomeness of a highlighter. One swatch was all it took for me to fall in love, I should’ve swatch the other palette to see if I might like the “Get it Glowing” better. I purchased the Flash + Awe Palette, it has 3 rose gold shades. My favorite shade from this palette Flash +Awe and Rosy Glow.

It retails for $39.50 and it is worth every penny. This will be part of their permanent collection soon!

There are two palettes to choose from the 1) Flash + Awe which is rosey and cool toned. 2) Get It Glowing is more golden goddess warm toned vibes.

One little problem with this palette, the names of the shades was on the plastic protector, not paying to much attention to it, I threw it out.

The texture of these highlighters reminds me of the Becca Champange pop highlighter. Its soft to the touch and glides on effortlessly; gives off a wet glow to the face ( hint hint– spray a little bit of fix plus on your brush before applying the highlight, giving a vibrant glow) The only difference between these two is that you get more product & shades.

swatches 2

The Reason why I say that this is the only palette I will ever need is because these shades are versatile, it will compliment all skin tones because there are 3 shades to choose from each palette. As a makeup artist, this will be in my kit all the time from now on.

me 2

What is your favorite highlighter?

Everything you need to know about a beauty blender.

April 12, 2018April 12, 2018Leave a comment

The most common question I get from my lovely clients is “Whats the best foundation brush?” My answer is always the same, get a Beauty Blender!

A Beauty blender is my best friend, and trust me it will be yours… Some of you who are well versed in the dictionary of beauty might be asking thinking to yourself, ” Well the beauty blender isn’t a new product, why are you talking about it now?”

Because to my surprise, I’ve met countless women who are very confused when I mention the beauty blender to them, they are quite fascinated with it. A lot of women just apply foundation with there hands, which in retrospect isn’t a big deal, but if you want a more flawless finish then you need a beauty blender. A beauty blender is versatile, it can be used for foundation, concealer, contour, bronzing, and setting powder. My mother likes to apply her foundation with those flimsy compact sponges, I explained to her that those don’t distribute foundation like the beauty blender does. Worst part is that it just eats up the foundation; even though the beauty blender does soak up foundation, but it does redistribute it when applied the right way.

Okay once you have your beauty blender what do you do with this nifty little contraption? You get it wet, I know weird but it words. You place it underneath running water then begin pumping the sponge until it grows double in size. I usually wet my beauty blender by running it underneath the water. Do not use it dry, I have made this mistake before, the results where horrendous. In this photo I have a very dirty beauty blender that was well used.

Keeping It Clean

Cleaning your beauty blender is important, one of the best things you can do for your skin. Foundations, concealers, etc… get’s soaked into the sponge, after a couple of uses it becomes unhygienic to use. It’ especially important to clean it at least once a week if you suffer from acne or blemishes.

My little secret is to use Dr. Bronners Castile Soap! I kid you not, I always used the beauty blender soap and it did the job. But I can’t always get around to that soap on time to wash my brushes so I used my hand soap. I couldn’t believe my eyes! It worked better then the beauty blender soap.

Another quick tip for you is to put your already washed beauty blender into your microwave and to microwave it for 30 seconds. That will kill the bacteria from within the sponge that might be hard to get out.

Story Time:

I will never forget how my aunt was telling her beauty blender doesn’t do the job she wants it to do. I was in disbelieve, I went to go run it underneath the water and it didn’t expand, a hard rubber sponge. No wonder she was complaining about the “Beauty Blender” . Beware there are a large amount of sellers who sell imitation beauty blenders. Just remember if it doesn’t expand then its crap, throw it out the window, in the garbage, in a fire, just throw it out! I know the price is a little steep at $20 for a small sponge, there are other companies who sell great dupes, such as Real Techniques, Sephora, Sonia Kashuk, Morphe, Loreal and etc..

Im almost done I promise, here is a easy to follow guide on how to use it.

I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post, let me know whats your favorite makeup brush or sponge to use?

Valentines Day Glitter Glam Tutorial

February 11, 2018March 19, 20182 Comments

Valentines Day is coming up in a couple of days and what better way to enjoy the day with a glam look?

As shown in the photo’s there are 12 steps, in each step I let you know what products and brushes I used to recreate this look. Caution I do go into detail, explaining every step; whether you’re recreating this look or just trying to learn how to figure out which brushes are best for what. I want to provide you my most with this blogpost.

STEP BY STEP

1. Firsts things first, always prime the eyes if you want the eyeshadow to stand out. I started off by priming my eyes with MACs Paint Pot in “Soft Ocher”. you need to have a clean canvas whenever using bright colors.

2. For my transition shade I used MAC Blush in “Melba”— yes, you can use a blush as an eyeshadow! You can use bronzer, highlighter, contour, all of them as an eyeshadow, you can mix and play around with makeup.

3. Next, I applied the shadow “Gossip” from the Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette. This shadow is a bright coral/pink shade with a small shimmer specs. I applied this shadow all over my lid with a flat shader brush from sigma beauty.

4. Using an Angled shading eye brush from Luxie Beauty and swiped the color outwards, to create a more feline look. The reason why I like to use an angled brush is because of the angle of the bristle helps with the contour of the crease.

5. To intensify the shade “Gossip” I used a bright red blush by Mac called “Apple”. Using a clean fluffy brush with no eyeshadow on it I gentley blending it into the outer corner.

6. Taking my E20 Short Shader Brush from Sigma Beauty and smudging out the same shadow/blush underneath my eyes. Gently pressing it against my lower lash line. I stopped towards the center, I didn’t want to go to close to my inner corner, I left that out for the highlight. Also, I didn’t smoke it out because red isn’t the most flattering shade and can make my eyes appear as if I haven’t slept for the past couple of days. The key to this step is to go with a light hand and not to blend it out.

7. Then taking any black shadow, I used “Carbon” by MAC, then taking a Flat definer E15 brushby Sigma Beauty, lining my upper lash and lower lash. Mostly on the center and outer edges and taking it outwards to create a cat eye and on the bottom connecting it to the top on the out.

8. Taking a clean, E25 Blending brushby Sigma Beauty, slightly dabbing it into the carbon shadow and sweeping it across my crease. I focus more on the outer corner and barely touching the skin when I reach my inner corner. When blending out a black eyeshadow it can get tough, even with a transition shade already there, the best way to use any black or dark eyeshadow is little to nothing, then slowly build up. I took the slightest bit and added it to my crease… a lot of blending was done to perfect this look, really a lot!

9. Are you ready for the glitter awesomeness? I took my Too Faced Glitter Glue, applying it on the center and going inwards to my tear duct and then applied MACs Gold Glitter from the holiday collection. I really applied a generous amount, make sure to wipe off any fallout because you don’t want glitter everywhere.

10.Now for the fun part, I drew a thin 1” line on the center of my crease. Using my 710 Eye Liner brush by Bdelluim Tools , (best liner for eyeliners!) drawing on a wing liner. Using the Inglot Gel Liner 77 to the crease and drawing out a wing liner and lining the bottom lash line.

11.Now for some highlight action, I applied MACs “Nylon” to my brow bone and inner corner. I love this eyeshadow, really gives a beautiful glow. Then I added a cream/white eyeliner by L.A Girl.

12.Last but not least the Lashes, I wanted to keep the lashes a little bit simpler, so I added Red Cherry False Lashes. They are long and thinner then ones I am used. Then applying a generous coat of mascara too marry the false and real lashes together, then applying it on my bottom lashes.

And there you go, my Valentines Day Glam Glitter Eye look. I hope you enjoyed this! Let me know what your makeup plans for valentine’s day will be! Will you go glam, simple, smokey eye? The possibilities are endless.

You won’t believe the power of the Maybelline Superstay Ink Liquid Lipstick

February 5, 2018April 18, 2018Leave a comment

One thing worst then buying crap makeup is wasting money on crap makeup, I know we have all been there one time or another. Well waste no more because these I have found a great and affordable Liquid Lip; my struggle to find a greataffordable matte lipstick is finally over! I have purchased so many and just gave up at this point. The reason why I picked up the Maybelline Superstay Ink Liquid Lipstick was I swatched a couple of lipsticks on my hand and didn’t think much of it. The next day I noticed I still had the lipstick stains on my hand. I knew I had to buy at least one and try it out on my lips, even though these liquid lips came out last year & there are probably a ton of blogs out there talking about this product, I wanted to test it out for myself… Now you’re probably wondering what’s wrong with drugstore matte liquid lipsticks? Well if you must know, the formulas tend to be more on the drier side, causing my lips to feel dried out and the lipstick cracks away which is disgusting, who wants their lips to crack and crumble away?

First Impressions: The packing is sleek and easy to use, it doesn’t splatter when you open the tube, which has happened with some liquid lipsticks that I have had. The applicator makes it super easy to work with. The point of the applicator is precise, making it easier to line the lips without messing up. The Liquid Lipstick is glossy in the beginning, after 3 minutes it dries down and becomes matte. It glides on smoothly; the color is opaque and saturated and is no patchy. In the beginning it appears to be wet and shiny, then It dries down matte, more of a velvety matte per se. When pressing the lips together it doesn’t have a sticky or tacky feeling. But, I must caution you, it will transfer on your teeth within the first few minutes, so double check you teeth.

Now time for the real question, how long do they last on the lips?

Maybelline Super Stay Liquid Lipstick claims a 16-hour wear, with which I disagree with. In my experience, it lasted a good 4 hours without any fading or wearing off. After the 4^thhour it started to fade away and gather in small clumps. It wasn’t terrible but manageable.

I applied the Super Stay Liquid Lipstick at 11:00am and wore it though out the day without any touch-ups. That meant eating, drinking, kissing my babies etc.. And the results? Well you can see in the photo below for yourself.

The second photo was taken at 8:00 pm after I gave my kids a bath, (which is more like a tsunami) and the lipstick didn’t run, safe to say it’s waterproof too. It did leave a stain after it faded away from my top lip. On the bottom lip I applied two coats (which you shouldn’t do, the more layers you add the heavier it will be).

Overall Verdict: This is an amazing Liquid Lipstick but isn’t “16 hour wear”, I would say this is 4 hour wear without fading or wearing off. It does start to crumble if you layer on the liquid lip, so watch out one swipe is more then enough. It does leaves a stain on the lips which I like because even when it does fade away the color still remains on the lips. I am going to definitely purchase more shades, ruler and dreamer look like they will be on my to-buy list soon!

They currently have 20 shades available, you can probably find them at your nearest drugstore but if not, Amazon has the full collection for $7.99. In my local drugstore you can’t find all 20 shades, which is a bummer because I love to see different options. They did recently add a couple of new nude shades and I can’t wait to try them out!

1. Ruler

2. Voyager

3. Believer

4. Escapist

5. Protector

6. Amazonian

7. Creator

8. Romantic

9. Heroine

10. Pioneer

11. Driver

12. Loyalist

13. Poet

14. Seductress

15. Fighter

16. Dreamer

17. Lover

18. Philosopher

19. Visionary

20. Huntress

Let me know what your favorite and most hated drugstore liquid lipstick is!

Beauty Must Have Updates for 2018

January 30, 2018April 13, 2018Leave a comment

2018 is all about new resolution, new life goals and new makeup. But there are a couple of makeup products I can’t say bye to just yet, because they are so amazing. Keep on coming back to them, I probably have more but these are the ice breakers.

1. Makeup Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick– I haven’t mention this product enough in 2017. I love how this product blends into the skin so effortlessly and there are tons of shades to choose from. From light to dark, cool tone and warm tones. The options are endless. I love this product even more because its on a stick form, I hate having to scoop out extra from the bottom of the tube from different foundations. You can’t go wrong with a stick foundation (unless it’s dry). This is a creamy foundation, glides on the skin like butter and blends effortlessly..

2. Hermes Eau Des Merveilles Perfume– A classic staple in my perfume collection. I got this as a wedding gift about 5 years ago and have used this perfume frugally. I wanted to savor every time I spray it on me; the best way I can describe this scent is woody, sweet and sensual. The time has come to restock.

3. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser– At first glance I didn’t think this product was worth $40. The sales lady at Sephora explained the benefits of this product, well thank you because this was one of my favorite cleanser for 2017. I have sensitive skin, I take care of my skin diligently because I know if I don’t it will be dry and not so good. I make an extra effort to keep it dewy and hydrated, from the moment I wake up till I go to bed, when remove my makeup I use this all the time. I have used so many drugstore cleanser, they did an okay job. But this really helps me feel like I have a personal spa at home. I just apply this on a cotton pad and wet it a little but then start to gently massage it into my skin and then wash off. My skin feel feels rejuvenated, soft, radiant and it doesn’t dry out my skin. Which is key to a good facial cleanser, if it dries out your skin then don’t use it.

4. Inglot AMC Gel Eye Liner- The time has come where I won’t shut up about this gel liner. I have been using this for about two years I wont go back to any gel liner. I went through 4 of these between me and my makeup clients I like to keep a separate gel liner for me. The colors are rich, long lasting and smudge proof and crease proof! How awesome is that, I have clients that have oily lids, and when they used to open their eyes the gel liners would smudge and transfer to the crease. Until this bad boy came along, I don’t have this problem any more.

5. Too Faced Hangover 3-in-1 Replenishing Primer & Setting Spray- Before I mention anything else I must mention the amazing scent! A sweet mix between coconut and vanilla delicious right? I use this to prime my face, in middle of my makeup routine to freshen things up and afterwards to set. This setting spray helps keep my skin hydrated and makeup lasting throughout the day. Even when I am not wearing makeup I still use this on my face.

6. Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer- This Concealer conceals perfectly, its light weight and provides great coverage, sound like an oxy moron I know, but it’s the truth. They have a ton of shades to choose from, I like to mix Light and Medium Light to create dimension on my face.

7. Charlotte Tilbury Unisex Healthy Glow– This product can either be a hit or miss, at first when I applied this product I was expecting a filter type of effect, something that will blur my lines and pores and give a smooth finish. Well it did do all of that and more, like give me a nice tan. A tan that maybe I am not used to because I am very pale. So this was a miss for me, but I couldn’t let $40 worth of a product go to waste. I played around until I learned the greatness behind this product. It gives me a glow, a natural hidden glow, if that makes sense. Even my foundation has this golden bronze look, not too bronzed but just enough to sneak away a little of a fake tan. Letting this product sit on the skin for a little is the trick, let it seep into the skin and the magic starts.

8. Dior Rouge Lipstick- A classic and timeless lipstick, these are the only ones I didn’t depot in my vueset palette because I have one in my bag at all times, my shade just matches me perfect. They moisturize my lips, have a creamy consistency.

9. Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer- I really should’ve mention this on the blog sooner but I haven’t. This is my favorite drugstore bronzer, it doesn’t contain any shimmer or glitter; I hate that. It smells like coconut (Yes, I am obsessed with coconuts!) soft to the touch and buttery like consistency. You know when you’ve had a product that you have to really dig your brush into aggressively? Well this is not the type, just one swoop will get you enough product for a light bronze.

10. Bobbi Brown Corrector – You might’ve seen mention this product over and over again, I think its time for something new but what can I say I am a sucker for this corrector. It just works, if you want to see the full blogpost post click here.

11. Origin Ginzing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturizer- I can’t stop talking about this product, from family to clients it has become my all-time favorite. Don’t get me wrong I have tried out other moisturizers from the high end the more affordable ones such as Lancome, Clinque, Fresh, Loreal, Olay. I always find myself coming back to the Origins Ginzing Moisturizer is the one I always prefer over all of them. It has a gel like consistency, once applied to the face it feels amazing and has an criticus smell to it. I usually apply this in morning and wait about 30 minutes before applying an makeup on.

There is much more to the list but I wanted to shine light on these particular ones.

What are your absolute favorite beauty products?